Many's the time I've hung around the watercooler, musing, "What would the characters from Final Fantasy XIII-2 look like dressed in fashions by Prada?" Now we know, thanks to a 12-page spread in the latest issue of British fashion magazine Arena Homme+ that uses the "stars" of the video-game franchise to tout the fashion house's 2012 men's collection. This is actually tame and tasteful stuff for the fashion category, which is prone to giant robots, Harmony Korine's helium-drenched nightmares and Kate Moss birthing bunnies. It feels more "real," or at least less forced and artificial, than H&M's creepy effort grafting the heads of models onto computer-generated bodies for swimwear and lingerie photos. I suppose the Prada play attests to the endless refraction of popular culture in the prism of commerce, media images returned to the physical realm, further blurring the lines of reality. Something metaphorical like that. Hey, how about Donkey Kong for Banana Republic? Mario would look awesome in pleated khakis! More images after the jump.

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Many's the time I've hung around the watercooler, musing, "What would the characters from Final Fantasy XIII-2 look like dressed in fashions by Prada?" Now we know, thanks to a 12-page spread in the latest issue of British fashion magazine Arena Homme+ that uses the "stars" of the video-game franchise to tout the fashion house's 2012 men's collection. This is actually tame and tasteful stuff for the fashion category, which is prone to giant robots, Harmony Korine's helium-drenched nightmares and Kate Moss birthing bunnies. It feels more "real," or at least less forced and artificial, than H&M's creepy effort grafting the heads of models onto computer-generated bodies for swimwear and lingerie photos. I suppose the Prada play attests to the endless refraction of popular culture in the prism of commerce, media images returned to the physical realm, further blurring the lines of reality. Something metaphorical like that. Hey, how about Donkey Kong for Banana Republic? Mario would look awesome in pleated khakis! More images after the jump.